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Sirpur - Heritage Unearthed

Long,
long ago, there
was a city on the banks of a river. The builders planned it well. They built on
the right side of the river, allowing for the natural slopes, which ensured
that when the river swelled during the monsoons, the extra flow would be to its
left, leaving the city dry. The main walls of the town were built in a
direction along the river, so that in case there ever was a flood, it would do
the least damage. They built massive temples for their deities, towering over
the city, so everyone could see the spires, and hear the bells from their
houses.

Surang Tila

As
the city grew,
traders arrived, bringing with them goods the locals had never seen before.
Soon, the city planners built a marketplace, so more traders arrived. As
knowledge grew, so did the facilities. As visitors grew, so did the religions.
Buddhism arrived, and then Jainism; and the new arrivals built their own
temples and monasteries.

One of the Buddha Viharas

No
one minded.
After all, everyone contributed to the growth of the city. They lived in
relative peace, despite the wars all around them. Regimes changed, but life
went on, with little discord among the residents. Would it have remained the
same? We do not know, for nature had other ideas. A massive earthquake rent the
town, and all the planning couldn’t save the residents. As the houses crumbled
and the river burst her boundaries, the people were left with just one choice –
to flee. The toll must have been huge, and we will never know how many escaped,
and how many succumbed. The city was abandoned, and reclaimed by earth.
Centuries passed, and the city was forgotten. Till someone turned up with a
spade and began digging. Long forgotten structures emerged from the earth, and
the city started taking shape again, albeit in another form – as a relic of a
time gone by.

This
is the story of Sirpur, in Chhattisgarh. The erstwhile city, most of which is still buried
under the earth, went by many names over the period it flourished, chiefly
among them, Sabaripura, (for Sabari from the Ramayana, who is said to have
offered fruit to Rama somewhere in this region,) and Shripura, which is where
the present name comes from. Sirpur’s glorious history first came to light in
1872, when Alexander Cunningham, the founder and first director of the Archaeological
Survey of India, discovered the most impressive structure here – the Lakshman
Temple. Recent excavations have uncovered 22 Shiva temples, 5 Vishnu temples,
12 Buddha Viharas, 1 Jain Vihara, a huge marketplace with an underground
granary market, hospital, and a medicinal bath! And these appear to be simply the
tip of the iceberg, since there are many more mounds yet to be excavated!

An underground granary

The
two most impressive temples are the Lakshman Temple and the Gandheshwar Mahadev temple, the
first dedicated to Vishnu and the second to Shiva. While the first is solely
maintained by the ASI, the second is still frequented by devotees.

The Lakshman Temple

The
Baleshwar Mahadev mandir, has a pair of Shiva temples side by side, said to have been built by a
king for his two wives! Surrounding it are remnants of other temples, which
lead to the belief that this must have been a temple complex at one time. The
main sanctum in these shrines must have been in the shape of a star, which is
one of the most interesting things about them.

One of the shrines at the Baleshwar Mandir. Note the 6 pointed star shape of the sanctum.

The
Buddha Viharas
are no less interesting, with extremely intricate sculptures lining the doorway
and the pillars, most of which seem to have been found intact! Interestingly,
they seem to depict a wide range of stories, from the Panchatantra to the
erotic!

Sculptures at the entrance to the Buddha Vihara. The amorous couples do grab our attention, but look above them at the detailed miniature depiction of a ram fight!

However, the most interesting, and
impressive structure is what is locally called the ‘Surang Tila’,
since it was believed that there was a tunnel (surang) under the mound
which existed here. As it turns out, there was no tunnel, but this must have
been the highest structure in Sirpur during its prime. Much of it remains
intact, which is also why it shows us a glimpse of the reason for Sirpur’s
decline – the massive earthquake.

Locals at the Surang Tila

The
structure is an
enormous platform, with steps leading to the top, where there are 5 shrines,
four housing Shiva and one, Ganesha. It must have been quite an important
structure in its time, for, on one side is what must have been the priest’s
house – a huge structure which gives us an idea of how important the priest
must have been; and to the south is a Tantric shrine, housing the trinity – Brahma,
Vishnu and Shiva.

One of the shrines at the Surang Tila, with the sculptures and pillars found here arranged in a row

This
structure was
certainly built to withstand natural disasters, considering that it has stood
the test of time. Besides, the massive quake which turned the city to rubble
only managed to dent the structure, folding the steps inward! That is the
reason for the apparently curved steps you can see here.

The steps which seem to have folded inwards, during the earthquake

The
only thing that
surpasses the Surang Tila in conception and magnificence is the marketplace.
Set out in neat rows, just off the riverbank, this is a masterpiece of
planning. With spaces for the individual traders, temples for them to worship
in, ayurvedic baths for them to rejuvenate, and even a hospital, everything
seems to be well thought out. There are underground granaries which have
provision for keeping the grain from spoiling, depressions for the grain to be
ground into flour, and even safes for keeping the money earned! No wonder,
traders flocked here from across the world!

A view of the marketplace. Look how it is seems to have been arranged in straight rows!

These
are certainly
some of the most impressive monuments Sirpur has to show us. However, these
aren’t the only ones. There are about 40 monuments in all, each of them with a
story to tell, and masterpieces to show off. As we realized, three days were
barely enough to scratch the surface. It did give us a peek into the Sirpur of
the past, and made me want to go again, in peace, and with time to spare, so I
could explore more.

Another view of the marketplace, with two Bodhi trees in the background. It is believed that the saplings of these trees were brought from Bodh Gaya by the Buddhist monks who settled here

I
visited Sirpur
to attend the Music and Dance festival, on invitation from the Chhattisgarh Tourism Board. I am grateful to them for giving me an opportunity to visit
a new state.

Special thanks to Mr. Arun Kumar Sharma, the retired archeologist
who excavated many of the monuments, for spending time with us, taking us
around, explaining the importance of these monuments, and most importantly,
answering all our questions with immense patience and good humour!

Information:

Location: Sirpur is located in Chhattisgarh, about 80
Km from the state capital, Raipur.

How to Reach:

By Air: The nearest airport is at Raipur, a drive of
about 3 hours.

By Train: The nearest railway station is Mahasamund
(30Km), though Raipur (80 Km) is better connected.

By Road: Buses are available from Mahasamund as well
as Raipur, and the roads are good. However, the buses aren’t too frequent, so
it is better to hire a car for the journey. Also, there are no cars or autos
available at Sirpur, so it is best to hire a car for the whole trip.

Where to Stay:

The only accommodation available at Sirpur is
at Hiuen Tsang, the resort run by Chhattisgarh Tourism. Book early, because there
are a limited number of rooms.

There are more options available at Raipur,
which has hotels to suit every budget.

It is possible to make a day trip to Sirpur
from Raipur, but if you want to explore all the monuments, stay overnight at
Sirpur.

Very very interesting account of what you could perceive. The name Sabaripura does not appear anywhere in the recorded history of the area. However there was a dynasty known as Sarabhpuria (6th Century AD) and there are mentions of one Sarabhpur as also Prasannapura. We are not certain if any of these names related to Sirpur.